presidency permanency.

"if any man thinks he has influence among this people to lead away a party, let him try it, and he will find out that there is power with the apostles which will carry them off victorious through all the world and build up and defend the church and the kingdom of god."

there is in existence, with headquarters at lamoni, iowa, an organization known as "the reorganized church of jesus christ of latter day saints." joseph smith, the eldest son of the prophet joseph smith, is the president of this organization (1909). one of the main reasons for its existence lies in the belief of its adherents; that "young joseph" should have succeeded to the presidency of the church. they claim:

i.—that it is his right by appointment of his father.

ii.—that it is his by lineage; that is, that the office of president of the church should descend from father to son.

iii.—that he was properly ordained by those holding the authority.

in this little tract we can but briefly state the facts in the premises, that the reader may draw a reasonable and intelligent conclusion. we do not hope to silence those who have schooled themselves "even though vanquished, to argue still," but for the general information of the honest in heart.

i. appointments.

local revelations for special needs.

it is claimed that according to the revelations, the prophet joseph was to choose his successor. first let us examine the ground upon which this claim is made. a number of revelations concerning the perpetuation of the prophetic office were received in the early history of the church. the first one was to oliver cowdery, september, 1830 (doc.& cov., d&c 28:2-7; reorganized edition, sec. 27:2.) the second came in december, 1830 (doc. & cov., sec. 35:17-19, reorganized edition, {490} sec. 34:4.) the third in february, 1831 (doc. & cov., sec. 43:1-4; reorganized edition, sec. 43:1-2.) the conditions which brought forth the above revelations were as follows:

while the prophet was in fayette, n.y., with the whitmer family, he discovered "that satan had been lying in wait to deceive and seeking whom he might devour." brother hiram page had in his possession a certain stone, by which he claimed to have obtained certain "revelations" concerning the upbuilding of zion, the order of the church, etc., all of which were entirely at variance with the plan of our father in heaven. many believed in these spurious revelations, especially the whitmer family and oliver cowdery. under these circumstances the prophet received the following revelation to oliver cowdery:

"and if thou art led at any time by the comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. but thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom; and thou shalt not command him who is at thy head and at the head of the church, for i have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until i shall appoint unto them another in his stead."

again in december, 1830, sidney rigdon came to visit the prophet at fayette, n.y., to inquire of the lord concerning his duties, and possibly for instruction and encouragement from the prophet. shortly after his arrival the following revelation was received:

"and i have sent forth the fullness of my gospel by the hand of my servant joseph; and in weakness have i blessed him, and i have given unto him the keys of the mystery of those things which have been sealed, even things which were from the foundation of the world and the things which shall come forth from this time unto the time of my coming, if he abide in me, and if not, another will i plant in his stead. wherefore, watch over him that his faith fail not, and it shall be given by the comforter, the holy ghost, that knoweth all things."

also, in february, 1831, a woman by the name of hubble made great pretensions of receiving revelations. she professed to be a prophetess of the lord and claimed that she should become a teacher in the church. she deceived some who were not able to detect her in her hypocrisy. that the saints might not be deceived, the lord gave the following revelation:

"o harken, ye elders of my church, and give an ear to the word which i shall speak unto you; for behold, verily, verily, i say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a {491} law, unto my church, through him whom i have appointed unto you, to receive commandments and revelations from my hand. and this ye shall know assuredly that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me. but verily, verily, i say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him, for if it be taken from him, he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead; and this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments; and this i give unto you that you may not be deceived, that you may know they are not of me."

from a careful reading of these revelations and in the light of the circumstances arising, we draw self-evident conclusions as follows:

lst.—some of the saints were being deceived by spurious revelations.

2nd.—it was necessary that the saints know that the prophetic office and the keys of the priesthood could be held and perpetuated only through him who had received that power.

3rd.—that in case of transgression or unfaithfulness he would retain the power to appoint his successor.

thus the wisdom of the lord in providing against the weakness of men.

all of these revelations were given before the quorums of the priesthood were organized and before the prophet had proven himself faithful or in the days of his "preparation and qualification." during all the trying scenes of life the prophet did not transgress, but proved his worthiness before god; therefore, there was no necessity for him to confer upon his successor the keys and authority of his office on account of any transgression during this early period before the various quorums of the priesthood were organized as we have them today. our reorganization friends admit this to be the fact. we read in the saints herald of august 18, 1888 (this being the official organ of the reorganized church), the following:

"joseph smith was taken away, dying a martyr, of which death he was conscious, and made preparations before it occurred. he was not accused by the lord of transgressions, and the gift that had been conferred upon him taken from him; nor was there a command given him to appoint another in his stead, because he had been {492} unworthy, and the lord proposed to depose him from his office. it was only in the event of the gift being taken from him, that he was to so appoint another. this event did not occur." (volume 35, no. 33.)

revelations on permanent order of priesthood.

subsequently, when the prophet had proved his faithfulness, the lord revealed to him, march 8, 1833, the following revelation declaring that the keys of the kingdom would never be taken from him:

"thus saith the lord, verily, verily, i say unto you my son, thy sins are forgiven thee, according to thy petition, for thy prayers and the prayers of thy brethren have come up into my ears; therefore thou art blessed from henceforth that bear the keys of the kingdom given unto you; which kingdom is coming forth for the last time. verily, i say unto you, the keys of this kingdom shall never be taken from you, while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come; nevertheless, through you shall the oracles be given to another; yea, even unto the church." (doc. & cov., sec. 90:1-4; reorganized edition, d&c 87:1-2.)

in the year 1835 the twelve apostles were chosen according to the revelation of june, 1829, and received a commission equal in power and authority to that of the first presidency. following is the language of the revelation:

"and they (the twelve) form a quorum, equal in authority and power to the three presidents previously mentioned." (doc. & cov. sec. 107:24; reorganized edition, sec. 104:11.)

thus it is seen that these early revelations which were local in their application, given for special needs, were superseded by later ones. in the former we learn "that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him, for if it be taken from him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead." in the latter we are told that joseph has proved his faithfulness and that "verily, i say unto you, the keys of this kingdom shall never be taken from you while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come, nevertheless through you shall the oracles be given to another, yea even to the church." in accordance with these later revelations there was soon after given through the prophet to {493} the church the order of the priesthood, with all its offices and their authority and power. one of these quorums (the quorum of the twelve apostles) was authorized to "ordain and set in order all the other officers in the church," which of course includes the first presidency. (doc.& cov., sec. 107:58; reorganized edition, sec. 104:30.)

these superseding revelations are so plain on this matter that one has but to have an ordinary knowledge of english to understand them. it is not to be wondered at that the church unitedly so interpreted them at the prophet's death.

and so, under the twelve, was the temple work prosecuted to completion, and preparations made for the journey west.

ii. law of lineage.

the second claim of the "reorganization" is that the office of president of the church belongs to "young joseph" by right of the law of lineage, that it is his by birthright.

to begin with, we will say that there are only two offices in the church which descend by lineage from father to son—the office of patriarch and the office of bishop. it is evident that the lord recognizes the family unit and makes provision for it in the priesthood, but to attempt to stretch the law to include all the offices of the priesthood and thus create royal families is unjust and carries us back to the feudal state of the dark ages. here in america, where so great an advance has been made in this line, one cannot but stand amazed at seeing men hunt about in crevices and nooks for some reason which will make the lord an upholder of special privileges to the exclusion of equality in his work. of the office of patriarch or evangelist, concerning which the misinterpretation arises (reorganized edition, sec. 125:3), we read the following:

"it is the duty of the twelve, in all large branches of the church, to ordain evangelical ministers (i.e., patriarchs), as they shall be designated unto them by revelation. the order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made. this order was instituted in the days of adam and came down by lineage in the following manner:—" (doc. & cov., sec. 107:39-41; reorganized edition, sec. 104:17-18.)

these passages refer solely to the patriarchal or evangelical office, but our reorganization friends would have you believe {494} that they apply to the presidency of the church or the melchisedek priesthood. that a proper comparison may be made we quote from the saints herald, vol. 39, p. 337, the above passage with the words they insert in parentheses to bolster up their claims:

"the order (including offices) of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made. this order (not the priesthood, but the offices therein) was instituted in the days of adam, and came by lineage in the following manner:—from adam to seth" (abel having been slain).

it can readily be observed that the reorganization is not only guilty of misapplication of this passage, but also of perverting scripture by inserting words in a revelation of god to gain their stranded point. the revelation plainly states that the patriarchal order of the priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, etc., and not the offices in the priesthood, as asserted and assumed by the "reorganization," and has nothing to do with the office of the president of the church, which presidency according to doctrine and covenants, is chosen in the following manner: "of the melchisedek priesthood, three presiding high priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and prayers of the church, form a quorum of the presidency of the church." secs. 107-122, reorganized edition, 104-111. the fact that the office of the patriarch and the office of bishop are the only ones named in the revelations which go by lineage from father to son, is reason enough to any fair minded person that the other offices (including president of the church) do not so descend. if not, why does the lord make this specification and name the two exceptions?

again, they contend that the prophet joseph received by blessing from his father the birthright, and that "his blessing (the prophet's) shall also be put upon the head of his posterity after him." (true succession, p. 44.)

therefore, they reason that "young joseph" should be president of the church. let us see—the fact of the matter is: hyrum smith, the oldest living brother of the prophet, obtained the birthright from his father. joseph acknowledged that his brother hyrum should receive the birthright, for "it was the right of patriarchal priesthood, even the evangelical priesthood, that was conferred upon the first born, and not the presidency of the church." furthermore, in proof that {495} hyrum smith received the birthright, we quote the following revelation:

"and again, verily i say unto you, let my servant william be appointed, ordained, and anointed, as a counselor unto my servant joseph, in the room of my servant hyrum, that my servant hyrum may take the office of priesthood and patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his father, by blessing and also by right." (doc. & cov., sec. 124: 91; reorganized edition, sec. 107:29.)

furthermore, in hyrum smith's patriarchal blessing given by his father, we read: "i now ask my heavenly father in the name of jesus christ to bless thee with the same blessings with which jacob blessed his son joseph," etc. in i chronicles, chapter 5, we are told that joseph (son of jacob) received the birthright.

however, the fact that hyrum smith received the birthright from his father would in no wise make him president of the church; for the patriarchal priesthood and the presidency of the church are two different things, and further, the descendants of joseph smith and those of hyrum smith "stand before god, as do all other men, assured of honor or dishonor, exaltation or degradation, according to their individual works."

it is further claimed that the president of this organization was called to be president of the church by revelation in 1841, which reads as follows:

"and now i say unto you as pertaining to my boarding house which i have commanded you to build for the boarding of strangers, let it be built unto my name, and let my name be named upon it, and let my servant joseph, and his house have place therein, from generation to generation; for this anointing have i put upon his head, that his blessing shall also be put upon the head of his posterity after him, and as i said unto abraham concerning the kindreds of the earth, even so i say unto my servant joseph, in thee and in thy seed shall the kindred of the earth be blessed." (doc. & cov., sec.125:56-59; reorganized edition, sec. 107:18.)

it seems almost unnecessary for comment or explanation as to the meaning of this passage. the lord gives commandment to build a house in which the prophet and his family are to have a home, and his posterity after him from generation to generation. it was this anointing that the lord put upon the prophet's head, that he and his posterity should enjoy the blessing of a home in this house, known as the "nauvoo house." an inheritance in this house is the subject of this passage, and not one word to indicate that the posterity of the {496} prophet should have the right to the presidency of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints.

as a conclusion in respect to the law of lineage, we quote the following words of the prophet joseph smith, which should silence all controversy on this subject:

"the melchisedek priesthood holds the right from eternal god, and not by descent from father and mother, and that priesthood is eternal as god himself, having neither beginning of days or end of life." (mil. star, vol. 22, p. 55.)

thinking, perhaps the reorganization officials may question the authority of our quotation from the millennial star in 1860, we will verify the same by quoting the following passage from the inspired translation of "the holy scriptures" published by the reorganized church:

"for this melchisedek was ordained a priest after the order of the son of god, which order was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days or end of life. and all those who are ordained unto this priesthood are like unto the son of god, abiding a priest continually." (heb. 7:3.)

there is only one way men receive the priesthood of god, and that is by the laying on of hands by one who had already the authority, therefore, "all those who are ordained unto this priesthood are made like unto the son of god, abiding a priest continually." it thus becomes evident that even had the son of the prophet been promised in the revelations that he should become president of the church, he could not become such until he was ordained by one possessing the authority to ordain him.

should we admit that he had the promise from his father of being president, would men who had joined one church after another and become divested of all authority, have priesthood enough to so ordain him? (see corner-stone tract.)

iii. ordination

this leads us to the third claim, i.e., that "young joseph" was ordained by proper authority.

those who ordained him to the priesthood and set him apart to be president of the reorganized church were william marks, zenas h. gurley, w. w. blair, and samuel powers. {497} the two latter never did belong to the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. william marks, at the time of the martyrdom of the prophet, followed sidney rigdon, evidently forgetting the claim which he later advocated, that "young joseph" should succeed his father. later he left the church and joined james j. strang's organization, acknowledging strang as the prophet of the lord and the one who should succeed joseph. (reorganized history, vol. 3, p. 723.) he so far departed from the true path as to be ordained and anointed to one position after another under strang's hands, thus vitiating any priesthood he formerly received had he not been excommunicated. (see corner stones.) becoming dissatisfied he left strang and joined charles b. thompson's church. (reorganized history, vol. 3, p. 724,) still later he left thompson and joined john e. page's church. (reorganized history, vol. 3, p. 724.) on june 11th, 1859, he entered the new organization, subsequently the "reorganization," on his original baptism. now where was his authority to ordain young joseph?

on the verge of the great exodus from nauvoo, zenas h. gurley fell away from the church. he was a seventy at the time, but not a member of any general presiding quorum. one cannot but be struck with the coincident fact that just at this time the saints faced their greatest ordeal. everything looked black. only stout hearts survive. the question persists in recurring to the mind, did zenas h. gurley forsake the church in its need because of disbelief in it, or because he paled before the hardships and suffering ahead? at any rate, he left the church and joined j. j. strang's organization, in which he remained for a number of years. he became a leading factor in bringing about "the new organization," and in 1860 assisted in ordaining young joseph to the priesthood, and also in setting him apart. how about his authority? if the whole church went wrong and he was one of these few pillars, sent of god, to steady the ark, why did he grope about in uncertainty and join a man-made church? in an earlier case we know of, the lord was very particular that his chosen vessel should "join none of them."

reader, have you ever stopped to consider this fact, that a man who holds the priesthood of god cannot debase that priesthood by joining a church which is not of god and still retain that priesthood?

the only answer there is to this query makes plain the fact that these men had no authority to ordain any one to any {498} office in the priesthood, and as proof that "young joseph" was not ordained by his father we quote his own words:

"no, sir, i did not state that i was ordained by my father; i did not make the statement. i was not ordained by my father as his successor,—according to my understanding of the word 'ordained' i was not." (plaintiff's abstract, in temple lot suit, page 79, paragraph 162.)

the lord never left his church in uncertainty, but the power bestowed upon joseph smith was bestowed upon the quorum of the twelve apostles, which quorum constituted the second quorum in the church. they were sustained in their calling as the first presidency of the church after the martyrdom by the vote and common consent of the people, august 8th, 1844, and again in october, 1844, and it was their duty to set in order the first presidency and all other officers of the church in accordance with the revelations of the lord.

but let us turn to another side of the question: the reorganization claims that there was an apostasy and a rejection of the church soon after the prophet's death. if such was the case, then is there some reason for a reorganization; if not, there is no excuse for it and a church carrying that name brands itself false.

in contrast with their fundamental view of the reorganization; that is, the apostasy or rejection of the church at joseph smith's death, let us consider the sayings of some of the ancient prophets, and by the aid of their stronger vision learn the lesson before us.

gloomy indeed must have been the immediate outlook to many of these ancient message-bearers of jehovah. rejected again and again they found little prospect of accomplishing more than but a meagre part of the mission of the priesthood. full well they knew that if ever the world were cleansed from sin it would be through the efforts of god's servants, joined with the efforts of the people. they could look back to the days of enoch and rejoice in the success of his ministry, for in zion was the full mission of the priesthood achieved, but as for their labors, most of the seed fell upon stony ground. what was it, then, that gave to these unrewarded men, these outcasts, the tone of optimism we find in their writings? the answer becomes plain by a reading of them. into their inspired vision was sent a glimpse of the future, and in the picture thus before them they saw a time, albeit afar off, when the kingdom of heaven, restored to the earth for the last {499} time, would gradually establish peace and righteousness among men. and so we read such passages as these:

"and in the days of these kings shall the god of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and shall consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever." (dan. 2:44.)

"and i saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. * * * and then followed another angel saying, babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." (rev. 14:6-8.)

"but in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow into it. and many nations shall come and say, come, and let us go up to the mountain of the lord and to the house of the god of jacob, and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of zion and the word of the lord from jerusalem. and he shall judge among many people and rebuke strong nations afar off, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (micah 4:1-3.)

in all these passages it is clearly evident that permanency was to be one characteristic of the latter-day kingdom, and that results were to follow it from the beginning without a break.

finally the set time arrives, and the father and the son visit the earth. men of old-time in an angelistic state come and deliver their messages. peter, james, and john restore the priesthood. elijah brings back the "key of the binding power," and under direct guidance from on high the kingdom becomes established once more.

what, we may now ask, is this latter-day kingdom like? where are the evidences of its permanency? if that feature be so distinguishing a one that the ancient seers eagerly noted it and gave it so prominent a place in their descriptions, surely there will be some evidences of it, in the kingdom's make-up; in other words, in the light of these passages, we would expect that the lord, in establishing his work for the last time, would place within it the power to overcome all obstacles and perpetuate itself. let us examine the "revelations."

in march, 1835, the lord revelated to the prophet the {500} authority of the different offices in the priesthood. throughout, all men are counted equally worthy; no special son is named and no royal family indicated. we read, as quoted above:

"of the melchisedek priesthood, three presiding high priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the presidency of the church." (doc. & cov., sec. 107:22; reorganized edition, sec. 104:11.)

again:

"the twelve traveling counselors are called to be the twelve apostles, or special witnesses of the name of christ in all the world; thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling. and they form a quorum, equal in authority and power to the three presidents previously mentioned." (doc. & cov., sec. 107:23-24; reorganized edition, sec. 104:11.)

further:

"the seventy are called to preach the gospel and be especial witnesses unto the gentiles in all the world, etc. and they form a quorum equal in authority to that of the twelve special witnesses or apostles just named." (doc. & cov., sec. 107:25-26; reorganized edition, sec. 104:11.)

ah! the important provision has been made. not in one man's hands alone does full authority reside. three great quorums possess it; the first presidency, the twelve apostles, and the first quorum of seventy. in the latter two it is but latent during the life of the presidency, for there is order in god's house, but being latent makes it none the less real. the result is obvious. evil may abound in man's heart. the emissaries of satan may incite them to bloodshed and drivings. they may martyr the prophet, but we have the twelve left. they may destroy the twelve, but the seventies remain. surely, a blind man can perceive a strength from within which sets destruction at defiance. but this is not all. not only is the power and authority in safe keeping, but the lord has designated a special quorum to build up the church whenever any of its offices become vacant, through death or otherwise. the revelation of march, 1835, says:

"it is the duty of the twelve, also, to ordain and set in order all the other officers of the church, etc." (doc.& cov., sec. 107:58; reorganized edition, sec. 104:30-31.)

twice blind is he who cannot see that so long as such a quorum is in existence the church will continue to live.

now, then, what have we before us? a tottering edifice {501} of a day! surely, no, but an organization the equal of which the world has never seen; one which required a visit from the father and the son and the assistance of moroni, john the baptist, peter, james and john, moses, elias, elijah, and others, to bring about. it was not joseph smith's church. he was but an instrument through which a great divine institution began to take root in the earth. and yet, in view of all this, we are told by the reorganization that the kingdom thus founded was so frail, so weak, that it collapsed at the death of one man. without strength, without stability, it fell in its beginning to rise no more for sixteen years.

we do not so understand this great latter-day work. nay, nothing could be further removed from our conception of it. to that man whose mind has been lit up by its spirit and who understands its mission in the world, such a view is impossible. if we examine ancient prophets, they contradict it. if we go to modern revelation, the answer is no less plain. if we consult common sense, it likewise says no. for divinely founded it was; and for the last time was it restored. neither again to be taken away nor given to another people.

not only has there been no rejection of the church, but there has been no cause for one. from the beginning, the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints has always stood for that which is true and good. no people on earth can point to a better record. the bleak plains, the silent graves, the barren desert, the magnificent temples, the self-sacrificing elders, all bear testimony to its integrity and stability. what would the lord reject them for? has he ever had as loyal or as firm a people? examine their history. feel of the spirit they carry with them. follow their tracts. notice the solid ruins of their forsaken cities. wherever they have planted their feet, there have they builded to remain. the spirit of permanency has surely rested upon them. the old mormon homes in nauvoo are among the most substantial in the place to-day. the temple there would have been a credit to the nation now had it remained unmolested. this same spirit they carried with them into the barren desert, and there on its thirsty soil, amid untold difficulties and hardships, reared yet more beautiful and substantial commonwealths. magnificent temples towering in the now fruitful valleys proclaim the people busily engaged in preparing themselves for yet greater things to come. truly,

"god moves in a mysterious way,

his wonders to perform."

{502} to unaided man everything looked black sixty years ago. today the severe experiences of those years are seen to be but a necessary preparation for the greater work of building up the new jerusalem. hardly necessary is it to add that they are fully prepared for this work when the time comes to begin it, and no less evident is it that a people who have been for half a century building temporary homes, with the expectation of being called at any time to build up the center stake, will hardly have had the experience necessary to build the greatest and most permanent of all cities and the most glorious of all temples.

evidences are abundant on all sides that not only has god set up his work for the last time, but also that this work is accomplishing its mission. more clear, as time goes by, becomes the truth of brigham young's words:

"if any man thinks he has influence among this people to lead away a party, let him try it, and he will find out that there is power with the apostles which will carry them off victorious through all the world and build up and defend the church and kingdom of god."

having obtained a glimpse of the glorious light which this latter-day kingdom has shed upon the world, we are assured that he who founded it, he who has guided it until now, will work out its future path.

"we do not believe it is just to mingle religious influences with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered, and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members as citizens, denied."—joseph smith.